LAPA FA-03
Summary
| Country | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Category | Bullpup assault rifle |
| Manufacturer | LAPA |
Technical specifications
| LAPA FA-03 | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 650 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 5.56 x 45 mm standard non-OTAN |
| Magazine | 30 rounds |
| Length | 738 mm (29.1 in) |
| Weight | 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) |
| Range | 550 m (1804 ft) |
Description
The LAPA FA-03, or "Fuzil de Assalto Modelo 03", was a bullpup assault rifle developed in Brazil by LAPA (Laboratório de Pesquisa de Armamentos Automáticos, SC/Ltda) under Nelmo Suzano. Development and prototype construction occurred from 1978 to 1983, with the intent to create firearms for domestic military applications and export, including a planned 9mm submachine gun and a .22 caliber model. The FA-03 was LAPA's only bullpup design, with just one prototype built. The project did not progress beyond this stage due to reliability issues linked to ammunition quality during Brazilian Army tests at Marambaia Proving Ground. This led to the end of financial support from associates and the inability to fulfill a request for units for evaluation by the Malaysian military.
The FA-03 is a bullpup rifle using a standard piston operated system and a rotating bolt lock, designed for compactness without sacrificing barrel ballistics. It lacks a separate safe position, with a single lever controlling fire modes ("30" for full automatic, "3" for a controlled 3-round burst, and "1" for semiautomatic) and action modes ("SA" for single action and "DA" for double action). The weapon was reported to be stable during 3-round bursts. The bullpup design places the trigger forward, incorporating the firing mechanism and magazine within the buttstock.
The weapon featured these characteristics:
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An ambidextrous eject port (ejection to the right side).
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A plastic receiver.
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Originally designed for a plastic magazine, the system was altered to accept metallic STANAG magazines.
Chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, it was developed using American M193 ammunition (55 grains) with a 1:12 barrel twist rate, with plans to adapt it to the 62-grain FN SS109 standard. The double action mode served as a safety feature, requiring a long trigger pull to fire.